Washington, D.C. — The American Health Care Association (AHCA) Senior Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs Dr. David Gifford today issued the following statement in response to new Five-Star ratings on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing Home Compare website:
“The abrupt change in star ratings for nursing centers may be confusing to consumers, residents, and their families. By moving the scoring ‘goal posts’ for two components of the Five-Star system, CMS will cause more than 30 percent of nursing centers nationwide to lose one or more stars overnight—even though nothing changed in staffing levels and in quality of care, which is still being practiced and delivered every day. Since the launch of the profession’s metric-based Quality Initiative in 2012, nursing centers have made significant improvements in the quality of care residents receive. While the Five-Star system can be a helpful tool, consumers should not rely on it exclusively when choosing a nursing center for themselves or a loved one. As changes are made in the future, we look forward to continuing to work with CMS to ensure that additional Five-Star changes are less confusing.”
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 13,700 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.